October Competition

Brief: Suspenseful Sentences

Challenge your creativity and mastery of language by crafting a single, long periodic sentence that holds the reader in suspense until the last word. Inspired by the intricate styles of Virginia Woolf and Jonathan Swift, this competition invites you to weave a narrative that captivates and surprises. And as the winning entry will be read out the main thing is to make it a really compelling sentence to read out loud. 

Maximum 200 words. 

Due Friday, September 27th 11:59pm

**Guidelines:**

1. **Structure:** Your entry must be ONE continuous sentence that builds anticipation and only reveals its full meaning at the conclusion.

2. **Length:** Aim for a sentence that is substantial and engaging, similar to the examples from Woolf and Swift.

3. **Theme:** There is no set theme, allowing you the freedom to explore any subject matter that inspires you.

4. **Judging Criteria:** Entries will be judged on how well they grab and sustain my attention.

This competition aims to encourage writers to experiment with sentence structure and narrative style, creating a captivating reading experience.

—

Two Examples

(Just examples, not models)

“It was the sort of look she had seen in the eyes of so many men, that look of complete and utter absorption, as if they were not merely looking at her, but through her, as if she were not just a person standing there, but an entire world of possibilities, a universe of thoughts and feelings and experiences, all contained within the confines of her own being, and she felt, as she always did in such moments, a curious mixture of pride and vulnerability, as if she were both the most important person in the world and the most insignificant, as if she were both the center of attention and completely invisible, and she knew, with a certainty that was both comforting and terrifying, that this was the way it would always be, that she would always be both seen and unseen, both known and unknown, both loved and unloved, and that this was, in the end, the essence of what it meant to be human.” – Virginia Woolf

“Whoever has an ambition to be heard in a crowd, must press, and squeeze, and thrust, and climb with indefatigable pains, till he has exalted himself to a certain degree of altitude above them; for, among the most vociferous, the loudest tongue will be soonest heard, and the most clamorous noise will be soonest regarded; and therefore, whoever may have a desire to be distinguished, must be content to undergo the fatigue of rising, and the hazard of falling, and the mortification of being despised, and the vexation of being slighted, and the disappointment of being neglected, till he has attained the pinnacle of his wishes.” –  Jonathan Swift

Adjudicator: John-Paul Flintoff

Winners will be announced at our 15th October 2024 meeting; online and in the newsletter thereafter.

For full competition guidelines, please read our competition rules.

Good luck!